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Derbent (Russian: Дербе́нт; Avar: Дербенд; Azeri: Dərbənd; Persian: دربند, Darband) is a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second most important city of Dagestan. Population: 101,031 (2002 Census); 78,371 (1989 Census). The Azeris are the main ethnic group, followed by Lezgins and Tabasarans. Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent The Sassanid dynasty (also Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia during the era of the second Persian Empire, from 224 until 651, when the last Sassanid shah, Yazdegerd III, lost a 14-year struggle to drive out the Umayyad Caliphate... This article is about the Avar Language, for information on the Avar people please see Caucasian Avars. ... The Azerbaijani language, also called Azeri, Azari, Azeri Turkish, or Azerbaijani Turkish, is the official language of Republic of Azerbaijan. ... Persian, (local name: FÄrsÄ« or PÄrsÄ«), is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Types of settlements in Russia, Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states have certain peculiarities with respect to the English language traditions. ... The Republic of Dagestan IPA: (Russian: ), older spelling Daghestan, is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... Russian Census of 2002 (Russian: ) was the first census of Russian Federation carried out on October 9, 2002. ... The Azerbaijanis[15][16] are an ethnic group mainly found in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. ... Flag of the Lezgian people The Lezgins, also called the Lezgin, Lezgi, Lezgis, Lezgs, and Lezgians are an ethnic group who live mainly in southern Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan who speak the Lezgi language. ... The Tabasarans are an ethnic group who live mostly in Dagestan, Russia. ...

Often identified with the legendary Gates of Alexander, Derbent claims to be the oldest city in the Russian Federation. Since antiquity the value of the area as the gate to the Caucasus has been understood and Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic particularity the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world. Over the years different nations gave the city different names, but all connected to the word 'gate'. The Darial pass before 1906. ...

Geography

The modern city is built near the western shores of the Caspian Sea, south of the Rubas River, on the slopes of the Tabasaran mountains (part of the Bigger Caucasus range). Derbent is well served by transportation, with its own harbour, a railway going south to Baku, and the Baku to Rostov-on-Don road. The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth by both area and volume,[1] with a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres (143,244 miÂ²) and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometres (18,761 miÂ³).[2] It is a landlocked endorheic body of water and lies between... The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain system between the Black and Caspian seas in the Caucasus region, usually considered the southeastern limit of Europe. ... Municipality: Baku Area: 1000 kmÂ² Altitude: -28 m Population: 2,074,300 census 2003 Population density: 1280 persons/kmÂ² Postal Code: +99450 Area code: 012 Municipality code: BA Latitude: 41Â° 01 52 N Longitude: 21Â° 20 25 E Weather types: 9 of 11 Mayor: Hajibala Abutalybov The Baku region. ... Central market and Church in Rostov. ...

To the north of the town is the monument of the Kirk-lar, or forty heroes, who fell defending Dagestan against the Arabs in 728. To the south lies the seaward extremity of the Caucasian wall (fifty metres long), otherwise known as Alexander's Wall, blocking the narrow pass of the Iron Gate or Caspian Gates (Portae Athanae or Portae Caspiae). This, when entire, had a height of 29 ft (9 m) and a thickness of about 10 ft (3 m), and with its iron gates and numerous watch-towers formed a valuable defence of the Persian frontier. Image File history File linksMetadata Derband. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Derband. ... The Caspian Gates in Derbant, Russia are identified with the Gates of Alexander. ... The Caspian Gates in Derbant, Russia are identified with the Gates of Alexander. ...

History

Derbent has a unique strategic location in the Caucasus: the city is situated on a thin strip of land (three kilometres) between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus mountains. Historically, this position allowed the rulers of Derbent to control land traffic between south-eastern Europe and the Middle East. World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

The first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BCE. Until the 4th century CE it was part of Caucasian Albania, and is traditionally identified with Albana, the capital. The modern name, a Persian word (دربند Darband) meaning "closed gates", came into use in the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century, when the city was refounded by Kavadh I of the Sassanid dynasty of Persia. The walls and the citadel are believed to belong to the time of Kavadh's son, Khosrau I. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries Derbent becomes also an important centre for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus. (9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC - other centuries) (800s BC - 790s BC - 780s BC - 770s BC - 760s BC - 750s BC - 740s BC - 730s BC - 720s BC - 710s BC - 700s BC - other decades) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Golden age in Armenia Assyria... Ancient countries of Caucasus: Armenia, Iberia, Colchis and Albania Caucasian Albania (or Aghbania) was an ancient kingdom that covered what is now southern Dagestan and most of present-day Azerbaijan. ... Kavadh I also known as Qobad I (449â€“531), son of Peroz I of Persia (457â€“484), was a Sassanid King from 488 to 531. ... Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent The Sassanid dynasty (also Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia during the era of the second Persian Empire, from 224 until 651, when the last Sassanid shah, Yazdegerd III, lost a 14-year struggle to drive out the Umayyad Caliphate... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau (IrÄn - Land of the Aryans[1]) and beyond. ... A coin of Khosrau I Khosrau I, (Most commonly known as Anooshiravan also spelled Anushirvan, Persian: Ø§Ù†ÙˆØ´ÙŠØ±ÙˆØ§Ù† meaning the immortal soul), also known as Anooshiravan the Just (Ø§Ù†ÙˆØ´ÛŒØ±ÙˆØ§Ù† Ø¹Ø§Ø¯Ù„, Anooshiravan-e-Ädel) (ruled 531â€“579), was the favourite son and successor of Kavadh I of Persia (488â€“531), and the most famous and... This article is becoming very long. ...

During the 630s it was invaded by the Khazar khanate. In 654 Derbent was captured by the Arabs, who transformed it in an important administrative centre and introduced Islam to the area. The Caliph Harun al-Rashid spent time living in Derbent, and brought it into great repute as a seat of the arts and commerce. According to Arab historians, Derbent, with population exceeding 50,000, was the largest city of the 9th-century Caucasus. In the 10th century, with the collapse of the Arab Caliphate, Derbent became the capital of an emirate. This emirate often fought losing wars with the neighboring Christian state of Sarir, allowing Sarir to occasionally manipulate Derbent politics. Despite that, the emirate outlived its rival and continued to flourish at the time of the Mongol invasion in 1239. The Khazars were a Turkic semi-nomadic people from Central Asia who adopted Judaism. ... Islam (Arabic: ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…), believe God (Arabic: Ø§Ù„Ù„Ù‡ ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ... Persian miniature depicting HÄrÅ«n ar-RashÄ«d. ... Sarir or Serir was a medieval Christian state in the mountainous regions of modern-day Dagestan. ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ...

In the 14th century Derbent was occupied by Tamerlane's armies. In 1437 it fell under the control of the Shirvanshahs of Azerbaijan. During the 16th century Derbent was the arena for wars between Turkey and Persia ruled by the Persian Safavid dynasty. By the early 17th century the Safavid Shah Abbas I inflicted a serious defeat on the Turks and recovered Derbent. For the chess engine Tamerlane, see Tamerlane. ... // History The role of Shirvanshah (Shirvan) state in national development of Azerbaijan (especially of northern Azerbaijan) is hard to underestimate. ... The Safavids were a long-lasting Turkic-speaking Iranian dynasty that ruled from 1501 to 1736 and first established Shiite Islam as Persias official religion. ... Shah Abbas I of Safavid at a banquet Detail from a celing fresco; Chehel Sotoun palace; Isfahan Shah Abbas King of the Persians Copper engraving by Dominicus Custos, from his Atrium heroicum Caesarum pub. ...

By the 1735 Ganja treaty Derbent fell within the Persian state. In 1722 during the Russo-Persian War Peter the Great of Russia wrested the town from the Persians, but in 1736 the supremacy of Nadir Shah was again recognized. In 1747 Derbent became the capital of the khanate of the same name. During the Persian Expedition of 1796 it was stormed by Russian forces under Valerian Zubov. As a consequence of the Gulistan Treaty of 1813—between Russian and Persia—Derbent became part of the Russian Empire. For other uses of this term see: Persia (disambiguation) The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... Eugene Lanceray. ... Peter was a tall figure, with an extremely striking build of 2. ... Nadir Shahâ€™s portrait from the collection of Smithsonian Institute Nadir Shah (Persian: Ù†Ø§Ø¯Ø± Ø´Ø§Ù‡) (Nadir Qoli Beg (Persian: Ù†Ø§Ø¯Ø± Ù‚Ù„ÛŒ Ø¨ÛŒÚ¯), also Tahmasp-Qoli Khan (Persian: ØªÙ‡Ù…Ø§Ø³Ù¾ Ù‚Ù„ÛŒ Ø®Ø§Ù†) also Nadir Shah Afshar (Persian: Ù†Ø§Ø¯Ø± Ø´Ø§Ù‡ Ø§ÙØ´Ø§Ø±) ) (October 22, 1688 - June 19, 1747) ruled as Shah of Iran (1736â€“47) and was the founder of the short-lived Turkic Afsharid... The Persian Expedition of Catherine the Great, alongside the Persian Expedition of Peter the Great, was one of the Russo-Persian Wars of the 18th century which did not entail any lasting consequences for both belligerents. ... Coat of arms of the Zubov family For other uses, see Zubov (disambiguation). ... Gulistan Treaty of 1813 (also written Golestan, Gulestan, and Golistan), was a peace treaty between imperial Russia and Persia, signed on October 24 (November 5) in a village of Gulestan in Karabakh at the end of the first Russo-Persian Wars (1804-1813). ... Official language Russian Official Religion Russian Orthodox Christianity Capital Saint Petersburg (Petrograd 1914-1924) Area Approx. ...

A large portion of the walls and several watchtowers have been preserved in reasonable shape till our days. The walls, reaching to the sea, date from the 6th century, Sassanid dynasty period. The city has a well preserved citadel (Narin-kala), comprising an area of 45,000 m², enclosed by strong walls. Historical attractions include the baths, the cisterns, the old cemeteries, the caravanserai, the 18th century Khan's mausoleum, as well as several mosques. The oldest mosque is the Juma Mosque, built over a 6th century Christian basilica; it has a 15th century madrassa. Other shrines include the 17th century Kyrhlyar mosque, the Bala mosque and the 18th century Chertebe mosque. The Sassanid Empire in the time of Shapur I; the conquest of Cappadocia was temporary Official language Pahlavi (Middle Persian) Dominant Religion Zoroastrianism Capital Ctesiphon Sovereigns Shahanshah of the Iran (Eranshahr) First Ruler Ardashir I Last Ruler Yazdegerd III Establishment 224 AD Dissolution 651 AD Part of the History of...

Economy and culture

The city is home to machine building, food, textile, fishing and fishery supplies, construction materials and wood industries. It is the production centre of Russian brandy. The education infrastructure is quite good; there is a university as well as several technical schools. On the cultural front, there is a Lezgin drama theatre (S. Stalsky theatre). About two kilometres from the city is the vacation colony of Chayka (Seagull). Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijnâ€”burning wine) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40â€“60% ethyl alcohol by volume. ...

Derbent being in practice a huge museum and with magnificent mountains and shore nearby, a great potential for development of the tourism industry exists, further increased by UNESCO's classification of the Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress as a World Heritage Site in 2003; however, instability in the region has not allowed further development. UNESCO logo UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Sister City

Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Location of Yakima in Washington Coordinates: Country United States of America State Washington County Yakima Incorporated December 1, 1883 Mayor Dave Edler Area - City 53. ...

References

EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica, the 11th edition The EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910â€“1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

World Heritage Sites in Russia

Central Sikhote-Alin | Curonian Spit (w/ Lithuania) | Ferapontov Monastery | Golden Mountains of Altai | Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye | Kazan Kremlin | Kizhi Pogost | Lake Baikal | Monuments of Derbent | Monuments of Novgorod | Moscow Kremlin and Red Square | Novodevichy Convent | St. Petersburg with Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk, Gatchina, Strelna, Kronstadt, Oranienbaum, and Shlisselburg | Solovetsky Monastery | Struve Geodetic Arc (w/ nine other countries) | Trinity-Sergius Lavra | Uvs Nuur Basin (w/ Mongolia) | Virgin Komi Forests | Volcanoes of Kamchatka | Western Caucasus | White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal | Wrangel Island | Yaroslavl Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... Sikhote-Alin is the home to Amur tigers, the largest felines in the world. ... Curonian Spit and Lagoon The Curonian Spit (Lithuanian: KurÅ¡iÅ³ Nerija, Russian: ÐšÑƒÑ€ÑˆÑÐºÐ°Ñ ÐºÐ¾ÑÐ°, German: Kurische Nehrung) is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand dune peninsula that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. ... Difficulty of access helped preserve the monastery intact since the 17th century The Ferapontov convent, in the Vologda region of Russia, is considered one of the purest examples of Russian medieval art, a reason given by UNESCO for its inscription in the World Heritage list. ... The Altai is a mountain range in central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, and where the great rivers Irtysh, Ob and Yenisei have their sources. ... Kolomenskoye (Russian/Cyrillic: ÐšÐ¾Ð»Ð¾Ð¼ÐµÐ½ÑÐºÐ¾Ðµ) is a former royal estate situated several miles to the south-east of Moscow downtown, on the ancient road leading to the town of Kolomna (hence the name). ... View of the Spasskaya (Savior) Tower in the early 20th century. ... Wooden miracle in Kizhi. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the M10(E95) federal highway connecting Moscow and St. ... The Moscow Kremlin, as seen from the Balchug. ... For other uses, see Red Square (disambiguation). ... Novodevichy convent in summer Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery (Новодевичий монастырь, Богородице-Смоленс&#1082... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Peterhof: the Samson Fountain and Sea Channel Peterhof (Russian: , Petergof, originally Piterhof, Dutch for Peters Court) is a series of palaces and gardens, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great, and sometimes called the Russian Versailles. It is located about twenty kilometers west and six kilometers south... Catherine Palace and Park Tsarskoye Selo (Russian: ; may be translated as Tsarâ€™s Village) is a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility 24 km south of St. ... Pavlovsk (Russian: ÐŸÐ°Ð²Ð»Ð¾Ð²ÑÐº) is a town situated in the Leningrad oblast, Russia, 30 km from St. ... Gatchina is the city of 84900 inhabitants in the Leningrad oblast of the Russian Federation, 45 km south of St Petersburg by the road leading to Pskov. ... The Constantine Palace in 1921 Strelna (Russian: Стрельна) is a historic village situated about halfway between Saint Petersburg and Peterhof and overlooking the shore of the Gulf of Finland. ... 1888 map of Kronstadt bay Kronstadt (Russian: ), or Kronshtadt, Cronstadt, is a strongly fortified Russian seaport town, located on Kotlin Island, near the head of the Gulf of Finland, at , . It lies thirty kilometers west of Saint Petersburg, of which it is the chief port. ... Oranienbaum (Russian: ) is a Russian royal residence, located on the Bay of Finland west of St. ... Shlisselburg (Russian: ) is a town in western Russia (Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast) located at the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga, 45 km east of Saint Petersburg, which lies at the mouth of the Neva on the Gulf of Finland. ... Solovetsky Monastery Solovetsky Monastery (Ð¡Ð¾Ð»Ð¾Ð²ÐµÑ†ÐºÐ¸Ð¹ Ð¼Ð¾Ð½Ð°ÑÑ‚Ñ‹Ñ€ÑŒ in Russian), a monastery on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. ... The Struve Geodetic Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through ten countries and over 2,820 km. ... View of the lavra in the 1890s. ... Satellite shot of the Uvs Nuur Basin. ... The Virgin Komi Forests is a natural UNESCO World Heritage site in the Northern Ural mountains of the Komi Republic, Russia. ... Kamchatka is the home of many volcanoes. ... The last wild wisent in the world was killed by poachers here in 1927. ... The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (1165). ... This article is about the Russian island. ... A public building in Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (Russian: ) is a city in Russia, the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, located 250 km north-east of Moscow at . ...

Coordinates: 42°04′″N, 48°18′″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

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